The Washington Post reported yesterday that the United States tiptoed
closer to helping the rebels trying to overthrow Syrian dictator
Bashar al-Assad. The Post said the Obama administration had not
decided to contribute to the fund that Gulf States have started to
pay for arms for the rebels. But let no one say President Obama was
doing nothing to support the effort to halt the massacres being
perpetrated by the Assad regime. The U.S. is providing those aiding
the rebels with “assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-
control infrastructure.” In other words, Washington is merely
offering advice.

But while some optimists are interpreting this as a signal to Syrian
ally Iran that the president means business, Tehran is sending a more
significant message to the West than the free advice offered by
Washington. Reuters reports Iran is continuing to export military
equipment to Syria that Assad is using to kill thousands. Rather than
being intimidated by the half-hearted and belated help being extended
to the rebels, Iran has been violating a United Nations Security
Council ruling that imposed an embargo on giving arms to Assad. A UN
panel has issued a report detailing Iran’s shipment of arms to Syria
that also discussed their efforts to evade sanctions aimed at halting
their nuclear program.

Iran has no intention of standing by while Assad — their most
important ally in the region — is driven from power. From the
beginning of the protests against Assad’s rule last year, Tehran has
been pumping in arms and “volunteers” from both Iran and their
Lebanese Hezbollah auxiliaries. Combined with Assad’s willingness to
slaughter as many of his compatriots as necessary, Iran’s support has
enabled the Syrian to survive a rebellion and foreign sanctions.

Those who foolishly expect Iran to give up their nuclear ambitions
need to understand Syria is a test case that illustrates that the
ayatollahs are playing for keeps. With European Union foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton apparently encouraging them to believe they
can beat the West and continue refining uranium, they likely believe
they can face the EU down on Syria as well. The arms pouring into
Damascus show the ayatollahs are convinced they are tougher than
President Obama. Until the president convinces them otherwise, the
odds of stopping their drive for nuclear weapons or ousting Assad are
negligible.